SNP MP John Nicolson calls for BBC chair to resign over facilitating Boris Johnson loan
dailyrecord.co.ukAn SNP MP has called for the BBC chair to resign over facilitating a loan for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.MP for Ochil and South Perthshire John Nicolson said that BBC chairman Richard Sharp "broke the rules" and that he should resign.MPs found that Sharp made “significant errors of judgment” by acting as a go-between for a loan guarantee for Boris Johnson.A cross-party committee was furious that Sharp failed to declare to MPs his role in organising the arrangement when he was applying for the job of BBC chairman.The committee said he should “consider the impact his omissions will have” on trust in the broadcaster.They said his actions “constitute a breach of the standards expected of individuals” applying for prominent public appointments.Sharp did not arrange the loan but admitted introducing his friend Sam Blyth, a cousin of Mr Johnson who wanted to help the then-prime minister with his financial troubles, to the Cabinet Office.A spokesman for Sharp said he “regrets” not telling MPs about his involvement with Blyth “and apologises”.SNP MP John Nicolson, who sits on the Commons committee, said Sharp’s position is now “extremely difficult” and called fo him to resignHe told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “He has lost the trust of the BBC staff, that’s very clear, I’ve been deluged with messages from BBC staff saying they don’t see how he can head up the BBC any more.“And he broke the rules: the rules are very clear, when you sign up for that job application you are asked if there’s anything about your relationships with anybody that could cause embarrassment.“This has clearly caused embarrassment.“We knew he was a big Tory donor, we knew he had given hundreds of thousands to the Conservative Party, but what
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